Eating Healthy on a Budget

Clarian Health Promotions

Eating Healthy on a Budget

Why eat healthy? How do you buy fresh food? What’s they difference in frozen and canned? When is fresh produce the cheapest? How do you make it taste good? When does fresh food go bad?

Eating Healthy on a Budget

Why eat healthy?

Your body needs a mix of vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and fiber to perform daily functions. All of these necessary components can be found in a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and meats.

Why Eat Healthy

Not having a sufficient mix of nutrients can be harmful to your body, as can too much of any given nutrient. Over consumption of food can lead to obesity. A healthy balanced diet is an excellent way to combat obesity.

Food Consumption and Disease

Facts Obesity related diseases are: diabetes, heart

disease, stroke, and cancer. They cause 75% of all deaths in the USA They cost about 1.2 trillion dollars in health

care each year

Vitamins, Minerals, and Phytochemicals!

You need vitamins and minerals to regulate your body’s systems. They help maintain your metabolism and some contain phytochemicals. All of the essential vitamins and minerals are found in a balanced diet

Phytochemicals are found in fruits, vegetables, and nuts. They act as antioxidants, and offer help in improving vascular health, vision, cancer prevention, diabetes control and prevention, and reducing inflammation.

green: Vit A, Folic Acid

red: lycopene, antioxidants, vit A

yellow: potassium, B

vitamins

blue/purple:polyphenols, antioxidants, potassium

orange: vit C, antioxidants, vit A, beta-carotene

The Nutrient Color Wheel

How do you buy fresh food?

Fruits

Most fruits are fragrant and not overly hard or soft when ripe

Ex: Cantaloupe has a full net and smells like a cantaloupe.

Vegetables

Vegetables have a strong vibrant color when ripe.

Ex: Don’t buy vegetables that are brown or that the color is not fully developed.

Seasonal Shopping

Buying fresh food when it is in season can save a lot of money

Think of the price of tomatoes in the summer vs. in the winter.

What is your produce grocery bill like in the summer vs. winter?

Buying frozen produce in the winter,and buying Indiana fresh produce in the summer can save money

The Farmer’s Market

Prices are comparable to Kroger type stores, but they offer fresh produce that has not been shipped or handled by anyone other than on the farm.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/States/Indiana.htm

Here you can find a farmer’s market in your area and a fun Saturday morning activity

Frozen vs. Canned

The nutrient content in the two is relatively the same but

Canned fruits have a lot of added sugar Canned vegetables have a lot of added salt

(sodium)This is done for preservation but adds a lot of

“bad” stuff to our “good” food. (try low sodium veggies or, “in their own juice” fruits)

Fresh, Canned, Frozen or Dried?

Apricots: Fresh 2 medium Canned ½ cup Dried ¼ cup

Weight (g): 70 122 33

Calories: 34 59 78

Blueberries:Fresh ½ cup Frozen ½ cup

Weight (g): 73 78

Calories: 41 40

Cooking

Cooking is an important part to eating healthy. Nutrients can be lost in the cooking process.

Steaming is the best option: In microwave 4 min for every 2 cups of veggies with 1

tablespoon of water in a covered dish. In a steamer for recommended time On stove as long as veggies are not immersed in

water

But do they taste good?

A few tips: Hamburgers: paprika

and pepper Fish: lemon juice and

bay leaves Green beans: curry and

basil Carrots: cinnamon

Cauliflower: nutmeg Peas: orange rind Baked potatoes: salsa Squash: brown sugar Asparagus: Lemon juice Pork: garlic and sage Corn: green peppers and

tomatoes

Reducing Recipes

Use smaller dishes Check to see if the dish is done 5-10 minutes

before the suggested time Add seasoning a little at a time Use recipes that are easily divisible

When do you just thrown it away?

Definitions from the USDA website

Sell by: tells the store how long to display the product for sale. Buy the product before this date expires

Best if used by: recommended for best flavor or quality. This is not a purchase or safety date.

Use by: the last recommended date for the use of the product while at peak quality. This date is determined by the manufacturer.

Keep your meat safe and your stomach happy!

Poultry 1-2 days

Beef, Veal, Pork, Lamb 3-5 days

Ground meat 1-2 days

Cured Ham 5-7 days

Sausage 1-2 days

Eggs 3-5 weeks(uncooked meat products stored at 40 ۫ or below)

What to do when the date is up

Rules of thumb:Follow the Use By dates to be safe cook or

freeze the products after the date.If the product is fresh and has no date (non-

meat) keep up to three days refrigerated and then freeze or cook.

After cooking “leftovers” can be stored for 1-2 days at 40 degrees or below.

Comparing Foods

Look at serving sizes Compare weights Sodium Content Calories Sugar Vitamin Content Saturated Fat/Trans Fat Price per ounce (grocery store) Buy Generic

Frozen Food vs. Fast Food

FROZEN MEAL Healthy Choice Chicken

Parmigiana (broccoli,pasta, marinara, fat free mozzarella, chicken)

FAST FOOD Wendy’s Crispy Chicken

Sandwich (lettuce, mayo, bread, chicken)

We chose healthy frozen meals and a similar sandwich from a common fast food restaurant

All nutritional information is available via the Healthy Choice and Wendy’s websites.

Comparison

Healthy Choice Wendy’sCalories 320 380Total Fat 9g 15gSat Fat 3g 3gCholesterol 20mg 35mgCarbohydrates 40g 43gFiber 6g 1gSugar 10g 5gProtein 19g 19gSodium 600mg 810mgVitamin A 6% 2%Vitamin C 10% 0%Iron 10% 15%Calcium 8% 2%

BUT…

TOTAL WEIGHT

Healthy Choice: 312g

Wendy’s: 157g

This is why it is important to look at serving size and weight. They may look similar on the label but “what” exactly are you getting??

$$ Facts $$

Frozen meals cost between $2-3 dollars

Fast food sandwiches cost between $2-3 dollars

SO… For roughly the same price you get: More food More vitamins And you’re eating More minerals HEALTHIER! Less calories Less fat Less sodium

$$ Facts $$

When going to the grocery: Make a list Think about what you eat If you usually make a trip to the vending

machine at work, why not just buy a 12 pack of soda or granola bars and keep them in the office.

THANK YOU!

Any Questions??